For the Love of an Angel
by AquaianGoddess
Summary: it's a sad story that I wrote late at night.


For the Love of an Angel  
  
Author's note: I wrote this late at night when I couldn't sleep. It's angst- y and has death in it. Enjoy.  
  
There was a child there.  
  
Jake stared at his ceiling. A child. An involuntary Controller was a little girl.. Sighing, Jake rolled over, and stared out his window.  
  
Marco! Get the freed Controllers! I'll cover you!   
  
Marco ripped out the bars and locks with his huge gorilla fists. The people ran out of the cages, scrambling over one another to get away. Rachel and Cassie followed them, ushering them to then exit, and protecting them from the following Controllers. Jake ripped and tore at the Hork Bajir, and barked off orders to the others Ax, Tobias! Go! Marco and I will follow! GET OUT NOW! Ax gave a final slash at the Controllers and ran to the stairs, Tobias a reddish brown blur above him. Marco, go.   
  
Jake-   
  
I'll follow you! Go.   
  
Marco loped away to the exit, flinging Controllers from his path. Jake began to leave when a whimper caught his attention.  
  
His huge tiger head looked around, when he spotted her. She was lying on the floor, still breathing. He ran to her. Child, get up! He made his "voice" as deep and gruff as he could.  
  
"...hurts.." She pushed herself up, slowly. Too slow, Hork  
  
Bajir were coming, and fast.  
  
I know, child. But you need to get up. Now! He grabbed her shirt gently and tugged.  
  
"OW!" A sob, "I can't! It hurts!"  
  
Sweetheart, listen to me. I know it hurts, but you need to move. He sighed, Get on my back, I'll carry you.   
  
The girl looked up into his face, the tiger's face, and nodded, her blue- green eyes determined. She grabbed his fur and tugged herself on to his back. He galloped away, Dracon Beams at his heels. He ran out of the entrance, and into the forest, disappearing into the night.  
  
Listen, child..   
  
"Ameila."  
  
What?   
  
"My name. It's Ameila. Ameila Constance Mary Walter and I am not a child, I'm ten years old!" Tiny hands clung to his fur.  
  
Awfully small for a human ten year old.   
  
Jake felt, rather than saw the glare Ameila gave him. "Mister  
  
Andalite Bandit, what you're name?"  
  
Jake lay down, letting the girl slide off his back; You have no bussiness knowing my name. Stay here, and don't move. I'll  
  
be right back.   
  
"Okay, sir." Jake walked in the bushes and demorphed. He sighed, and remorphed into the tiger once again. She couldn't know he was human. Once fully tiger, he padded back over to where he left Ameila. "Hey, sir?"  
  
Hmm?   
  
"Why aren't you in Andalite form?"  
  
Because I don't want to frighten you. That sounded lame, even to him.  
  
"I've seen Visser Three, have I not?"  
  
True, but your subconscious connects him with pain and fear. I want to appear as non-threatening as possible, while still being able to protect you. Okay, that sounded a little more believable.  
  
There was silence, "Hey, sir?"  
  
What?   
  
"Could you take me home? I'm cold and I'm tired."  
  
Do you live far? I can only go so far in two hours.   
  
"Not far. I did walk here after all..."  
  
Jake sat down, allowing her to climb on him again. Ameila, how's your leg?   
  
"It's still hurts a little. I should be alright."  
  
That's good. He followed her directions as she lead him to her house.  
  
"Mister Andalite?"  
  
Yes, Ameila?   
  
"May I call you Raphael?"  
  
What? Why?   
  
"He's an angel, a protector of the people of Earth. Christian biblical figure."  
  
If you so wish to call me that, you may. She thinks I'm an angel. Oh God....  
  
"We're here. I can get in by myself. I left my bedroom window unlocked. It's on the second floor. See?" Ameila slid off Jake's back and limped to the tree by her house, climbing up with expert ease and opening her window to her room and crawled inside. "Bye Raphael." She gave him a cheery wave and disappeared.  
  
Ameila..?   
  
Her face reappeared, "Yeah?"  
  
I will try to return soon.   
  
A grin lit up her face, "Of course you will, you're my guardian angel! Bye!" He watched her as she disappeared from his sight.  
Jake shifted again. That was two nights ago.  
  
He growled and flung back his covers and stripped from his clothes. Standing naked he made a brief pause to pull on his morphing outfit before opening his window and morphing into an owl. He saw that her window was open and flew inside  
  
"Raphael?" A sleepy voice called.  
  
I am here.   
  
Ameila sat up in her bed, and the sleepy voice didn't sound so sleepy anymore "You came back!"  
  
I said I would.   
  
Ameila bounced on her bed and grinned, her black hair shimmered in the moonlight. "You're an owl this time."  
  
It was easier to travel here without drawing attention to myself, this way.   
  
"Cool!"  
  
Jake stared at Ameila as she talked to him about her family.  
  
Ameila..   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Are you eating right? You look thinner. Your hair does too.   
  
"Oh, it's just my leukemia medication. It makes my hair fall out. I don't think it's helping, though."  
  
What? Why not?!   
  
"I will die, Raphael. It's gone too far already. The doctors did say there was a slim chance it would save me." She gave a small shrug, "It's better than living as a Controller."  
  
Jake felt like crying, I should think so. I should let you rest. I must go.   
  
"Will you come again?"  
  
I shall try. Please try to rest and get back your strength. And with that, he was gone.  
He began to show up to her house regularly. They spoke of little things, and of big things. Jake learned that Ameila liked to play soccer, and Ameila learned that Jake's favorite human food was artichokes. One night, as planned, Jake once again made his way to Ameila's house, only to find her window was locked.  
  
Ameila? There was nothing but silence in the house, with the exception of the soft noises of sleep coming from Ameila's parents' room. The cold fist of panic gripped Jake's heart as he flew back to his house and threw on clothes. Leaving a note for his parents, mentioning something about the mall, he grabbed his bike and rode it to the hospital, as fast as his legs would take him. Taking it with him as he ran to the elevator and up to the pediatric ward, he ran to the main desk. He was breathing hard and his pulse was racing. "I... need.. to see...." He was gasping for breath and could hardly get the rest of his sentence out.  
  
"Whoa, sweetheart. Take a few deep breaths and try again." the nurse told him, calmly and soothingly.  
  
"Ameila Constance Mary Walter. Is she here?"  
  
"Are you family?"  
  
"A very dear friend of hers."  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Raphael. I need to see her, please."  
  
The nurse looked him up and down, "I'm not supposed to let anyone in. Visiting hours haven't started yet."  
  
"I really-"  
  
"Her room is 307. Go on." The nurse gave him a warm smile.  
  
Jake thanked her and walked down the hall to Ameila's room. He opened the door and walked him. "Ameila?"  
  
"Raphael?" Her voice was weak, almost too soft to be heard.  
  
"I'm here, little one."  
  
"A human this time.." She looked so tiny, so frail, so fragile in that almost too large hospital bed, surrounded by those cold, cruel, harsh machines that monitored her heart and brainwaves.  
  
"It was the only way I could get in to see you." He walked to the edge of her bed and sat down, "Ameila.." His voice was thick with unshed tears. Her hair was gone, and her skin was so pale, he could see her tiny network of veins through it.  
  
"Raphael, I'm glad I could see you one last time."  
  
"It's not the last."  
  
"Raphael, you are too smart to deny it." She smiled at him, "Do me a favor?"  
  
"Anything within my power."  
  
"Get rid of everyone of those dumb yeerks. Get them off my planet." She grabbed his hand, "Promise me?"  
  
"I.... I promise." He smiled at her.  
  
"Good." She sighed, "Raphael?"  
  
"Yes, little one?" He slid farther into the bed placing her in his lap, cradling her and rocking her back and forth.  
  
"I forgive you." She gave his hand a final squeeze and with that, she died, the machines blaring out their alarms.  
  
"Thank you, little one." Jake gently placed her back on the bed and left, making room for the doctors to rush in.  
  
He exited the building, and squinted in the sun. He rode home and found a note from his mother. She, his father and Tom where going to be out all day. He sighed and chucked the note into the trash bin.  
  
"You alright?" Jake spun around, and saw Marco leaning against the wall behind him. "You Mom let me in while they were leaving. Said you'd be home soon."  
  
"Marco.."  
  
"I followed you the last few times you went to that little girl's house. Ameila, her name is?"  
  
"Was."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She died."  
  
Marco reached a hand out to his friend, but then pulled it back. "Are you okay?"  
  
"She thought I was her guardian angel. Like I was some saint. That I was her hero." Jake slammed his fist into the wall, "Some hero I am. I couldn't even save her."  
  
"Jake.. You're not a miracle worker."  
  
"She called me Raphael, after the archangel. She-" Jake's voice broke away into a frustrated sob as he slammed his fist into the wall. "I held her as she died, Marco." He faced the wall, leaning hi forehead against the plaster. "How can I save the world if I can't even save a little girl?" Marco hugged his friend from behind. Jake turned in his arms and slid down the wall, bringing Marco with him to the floor, sobbing into his friend's shoulder as Marco sat straddled across Jake's hips. He felt awkward as he watched his friend and fearless leader sob almost uncontrollably about a little girl, with dark hair and a big heart.  
  
"Shh, Jake. It's okay." Marco smoothed Jake's hair, just as his mother had done to soothe his nightmares.  
  
"Her last words were 'I forgive you.' She knew what I was doing to win this. All the lives that I had ended, she said she forgave me." Jake wiped his eyes and stared into Marco's.  
  
"I forgive you too, Jake."  
  
"Marco- I- Thanks." He smiled.  
  
"Can you let me up now? I feel a little weird."  
  
Jake laughed and let his friend up, and Marco helped Jake off the floor. "Do the others know?"  
  
"No. The suspect something, but they don't know the details. You want to tell them?"  
  
"Not yet." Jake stretched, and yawned. "Wanna take a nap?"  
  
Marco blinked at him, "Like when we were younger and we'd sleep on your bed, curled up like puppies?"  
  
Jake nodded, "Yeah."  
  
Marco grinned, "I can't believe you asked me that..." he laughed, "Let's go. You obviously need me."  
  
Jake swatted at his friend, "I'd ask Cass, but she'd take it the wrong way." He grinned, "Besides, you're just as soft." The laughed and went upstairs and curled up in Jake's bed.  
  
As they slept, high above a little girl with black hair and sea green eyes smiled and was free. 


End file.
